


Gentle Rain

by Nebbles



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen, and a bit of happy, post-war angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 19:58:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10726161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebbles/pseuds/Nebbles
Summary: It'd been several years since Emmeryn's passing, but the pain had still not passed.





	Gentle Rain

Chrom liked the rain. It often distracted him from his thoughts when they were troubling him – the cool feeling on his skin let his mind drift to calmer places, ones where his sister’s death didn’t haunt him at every corner.

The war had ended a while ago. Grima was dealt with, and the efforts to restore Ylisse were moving along nicely. While the diplomatic matters were stressful, Chrom almost didn’t mind dealing with them. They offered a nice distraction for the most part, yet however he often felt his mind tugging back, one word always swirling around in a faint whisper.

Emmeryn.

Chrom let out a small sigh, pulling his cape over his arms as he buried his head in his knees. It’d been years since her sacrifice, but the pain felt fresh as ever. Whenever he closed his eyes, he swore he heard Emmeryn’s last words on the wind as her body went plummeting towards the ground. He remembered Lissa’s sob filled screams piercing the ringing in his ears as his gaze was unable to tear his eyes from his sister’s broken, mangled body.

Visiting the midmire, he figured, was a little less painful. It wasn’t where Emmeryn died, and he didn’t need to think about seeing faint bloodstains on the ground that might not actually be there. The last time he attempted visiting that location, he wasn’t sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He swore he still saw blood, and that the smell lingered in the air. After that, Chrom elected to ignore all future visits to the battleground, and settled for the rain soaked fields of Plegia instead.

A thundercloud clapped in the distance, the faint rumble causing Chrom to peer up at the stretch of grey before him.

He sighed, brushing some of his wet hair out of his face. 

“…hey, Emm,” he spoke softly, barely audible over the rain. “I’m sorry. I meant to visit sooner.”

He paused for a moment, as if he were expecting a reply.

“Yeah, Ylisstol’s been a diplomatic mess. We’re helping with the reconstruction efforts,” Chrom continued. “A lot of people were hurt by this war. I know you wanted to avoid that, and I’m sorry.”

It was his war, anyway. The burdens were his to bear – they were never on Emmeryn.

“We’ve been all right, though, I guess. Lissa, Robin and I are trying our best to ensure things go smoothly. The Shepherds are helping out too. We’ve even planned to build a monument in your honor. Frederick’s leading that effort – he feels like he’s obligated,” Chrom felt sort of obligated as well, but could not ignore the plea in Frederick’s voice when he begged Chrom to let him lead the project. “He wants to honor you. He feels like he dishonored his vows when you died… he needs to rid of his own guilt too.”

It felt selfish to think Frederick’s guilt would never match his own, but that thought persisted nonetheless. While Frederick was loyal to house Ylisse, it wasn’t his sister up there that day. It wasn’t his sister that fell to the earth in a noble sacrifice. Frederick didn’t have to watch another family member die a horrible death. Sure, he had Lissa, and a new family, and a daughter he adored more than anything. That enough filled the emptiness that Emmeryn’s death left. 

“Anyway, I don’t know when the monument will be finished. I hope it’s done within the year… I know you can’t, but I can dream of you seeing it, wherever you are, right?” Chrom almost let out a chuckle, but it felt forced. “I know you’d love it.”

It was almost cruel that it took her death for the people to realize how great Emmeryn really was. She was so selfless and kind, always putting others above herself. She wanted the best for Ylisse and her younger siblings. Chrom and Lissa were always able to turn to her in moments of need.

With her gone, Chrom wasn’t sure who to turn to anymore. It’d been years, and the empty hole in his heart remained. He didn’t want to trouble Lissa or Frederick more than he already did, and Robin was busy enough leading the reconstruction efforts. He didn’t need to burden Robin either.

“Lucina’s growing up into a wonderful young lady… granted, you briefly met her future self, but…” Chrom trailed off, sighing. “It’s not the same as seeing her grow up. You deserved to see that.”

Lucina would never get to truly know her Aunt Emmeryn, and Chrom found that horribly unfair.

“I tell Lucina stories about you all the time… stories of her brave aunt, who did so much for the country she loved,” he pulled his cape closer around himself. It was soaked by the rain, but Chrom could pretend it offered comfort. “She’s young, but thinks you’re really great. She’s so sad she never… never got to meet you…”

The last word came out choked, tears stinging the edges of Chrom’s eyes. He slowly brought one hand up to his eyes, starting to wipe the tears away. More shortly formed after, and with a sigh Chrom buried his head into his knees. He hadn’t allowed himself to weep when Emmeryn died. He could never afford to shut others out and let his emotions run wild. War time wasn’t the place for that, and focusing on the task before him was more important.

He’d never wept this hard on previous visits. As more years went by, he missed Emmeryn more and more, to the point where the pain was unbearable. He still felt like there was something, anything he could’ve done to ensure her safety. That the plan was still perfect and they’d be able to go home together.

Chrom took in a deep breath, trying to center his focus back on the rain around him. He needed it to ground him, to try and push the negative thoughts back to the recesses of his mind. He came here to talk to Emmeryn. She would’ve wanted him to dry his tears, and be strong. 

He finally felt his body calm down, the tears slowing as Chrom peered at the endless grey sky once again. He closed his eyes, honing in on the gentle sound of rain falling on the wet ground beneath him. Breathe in, breathe out – just as he had taught himself.

“…dueling with unpleasant thoughts, are we?”

A voice snapped Chrom out of his thoughts as he gazed upwards, meeting the concerned eyes of his tactician. Robin held out an umbrella to cover Chrom, pulling up the hood of their jacket to shield them from the rain.

“Ah, Robin… it’s nothing, really,” Chrom shook his head. That was a horrible attempt at a lie, and Chrom knew Robin didn’t buy it for a second due to the raised eyebrow on their face.

“Chrom, you know better than to lie to me by now. I’ve known you long enough,” Robin knelt down, gazing into Chrom’s eyes. Upon seeing they were bloodshot, Robin gave a soft sigh and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know why you’re out here, Chrom, but it’s pouring. You should really come inside.”

“I want to be out here, Robin… while this isn’t the last place Emm was alive, I just…” Chrom wasn’t sure how to put it into words. “…just want to sit here and think.”

“I don’t want you catching cold, though,” Robin frowned, nothing but concern showing in their voice. “C’mon… Emmeryn would be happier if you were in a cozy, warm bed. She’d still want the best for you, no matter what.”

“I appreciate your concern, my friend. I do,” Chrom smiled, keeping eye contact with Robin. “However, I feel like this is the best I can do to apologize to her. I didn’t save her, and… I just want to talk to her, you know?”

“Chrom, we agreed this wasn’t your fault. If I couldn’t blame myself, then you couldn’t either,” Robin gently rubbed Chrom’s shoulder. “We tried. That’s all that mattered.”

“…I know. You fought so hard to save her. I can’t thank you enough for that,” Chrom lifted one hand to put on top of Robin’s. “I can’t stop thanking you for everything, honestly.”

The warmth that Robin’s smile held felt like the sunshine itself. “You flatter me, Chrom.”

Chrom still held the smile on his face. “You deserve it. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to achieve peace… I’m sure Emm would be so, so happy.”

“I know she would be. Even if she’s not around, we can continue her legacy. We can fulfill her footsteps, however small ours may be. And when the monument’s finished… she’ll look down on all of us, and feel so happy and proud,” Robin tightened their hold on Chrom’s hand. 

“Still have a way with words, don’t you?” Robin’s hand was comforting in his own. He found solace in Robin’s words, however. Emmeryn would have wanted nothing more than the people close to her to finish what she had started. 

They had a lot of work to do, and at times it seemed daunting. The pressure of ruling Ylisse was very real, as well as tending to its citizens outside of diplomatic matters. While some pockets of people who still harbored dislike for Emmeryn existed, slowly, things were mending. Chrom knew it’d take many years for things to be in place. Ruling didn’t come easy, which is something he learned from seeing Emmeryn take the throne at such a young age.

“Guess my tongue’s as sharp as my tactics,” Robin chuckled. They noticed Chrom’s gaze beginning to wonder once again towards the grey expanse before them. The same restless expression began to settle on his face, and Robin knew that small talk was too short of a distraction.

“I miss her too, you know,” they gave Chrom’s hand a light squeeze. “Granted, I knew Emmeryn for only a short while. But I could feel the kindness she radiated. I could tell how much she loved you and Lissa.”

“…yeah,” Chrom murmured. “She told me what a bright and able tactician you were. She trusted our lives to you, lest ever something befell her…”

Robin pressed their lips into a thin line, the weight of Emmeryn’s praise hitting full force. Yes, Chrom, Lissa, and everyone else had lived to see the end of the war. It almost seemed ironic, giving that Emmeryn was one of the lives they were unable to save.

_‘It’s not your fault. Remember that.’_

“I’m glad I got such an honor…” Robin turned their gaze back to Chrom. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and it was going to get dark sooner or later. “Will you be all right to come back, Chrom? The storm might get worse.”

“I… I still want some time to myself, if you’ll allow it,” Chrom gently removed his hand from Robin’s. “Your kind words and company have done a lot, but I want to sit out here for just a bit more.”

Robin opened their mouth to protest, but knew it’d be futile. Chrom, years later, was still stubborn as ever. They knew it’d be rather pointless to force Chrom to move. And, if this is how Chrom wished to cope, there was nothing to be done about it. 

“All right. Still, come in soon. I’ll have something warm for you,” Robin stood up, stretching their legs after kneeling for so long.

“Mm. Thanks, Robin.” Chrom gave one last smile before gazing out into the distance yet again. 

He felt something cover him from the rain, and looked up to see that Robin’s jacket was gently placed over his shoulders. The hood was placed over his head, shielding him slightly from the rain. He chuckled, the warm feeling of the jacket easing the pain his heart ever so slightly.

He didn’t have Emmeryn, but he still had people who would give him the world and more.


End file.
